SpO2n

SpO2n is a proposed metric that extends conventional peripheral oxygen saturation (SpO2) by applying correction factors from additional data to yield a normalized arterial oxygen saturation index. It is described as being derived from pulse oximetry SpO2 readings augmented by information such as hemoglobin concentration, altitude or ambient pressure, and the tissue perfusion index. The exact algorithm is device- or study-specific, and there is no universal standard for SpO2n.

Calculation and use of SpO2n involve combining SpO2 with one or more correction factors to produce a value intended to be more comparable across patients and settings than SpO2 alone. For example, an algorithm might adjust SpO2 upward when hemoglobin is low to reflect the reduced oxygen-carrying capacity, or adjust for perfusion index to account for signal quality. The goal is to improve interpretation of oxygenation trends in both research and clinical care.

Clinical relevance and limitations: SpO2n could potentially facilitate cross-patient comparisons and enhance monitoring in remote or critical-care settings. However, its clinical utility remains unproven, and the lack of standardization may lead to misinterpretation if device-specific outputs are used without validation. Additional research is needed to establish the accuracy, reliability, and guidelines for using SpO2n in practice.